Wendell board tables decision on rezoning for senior housing project

The Town Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday, July 11, to table a decision on a zoning change that would allow a senior housing development adjacent to the Edgemont Landing subdivision.

The Greater N.C. Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ, at 1609 Wendell Blvd., is requesting a change from Neighborhood Center zoning to Corridor Mixed Use on 43.57 acres adjacent to the church with a conditional district to allow multifamily senior housing, including duplexes, town homes and apartments.

Developers are planning about 26 single-family homes, 36 units of duplexes or town homes for seniors, 40 senior apartments and a 100-capacity assisted-living facility. Plans for the project also call for a commercial area that developers say might include a small hotel, restaurants and light retail.

At the request of the Church of God in Christ, the board also voted unanimously to amend the town’s Unified Development Ordinance to allow projects with aspects not expressly permitted in a zone to proceed after conditional use approval from the Town Board. Before, a project had to come back before the board for a special use permit hearing to OK these exceptions.

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“It still affords this board the opportunity to attach any conditions that you might see as warranted based on their particular case,” Planning Director David Bergmark said. “It just eliminates the need to have a separate, some might say redundant, hearing on conditional use approval and then special use approval.”

Board member John Boyette, who first suggested tabling the rezoning request, said in an interview after the meeting that he would like to talk to some of the neighbors who had raised concerns about the project before making a decision. “It’s just to get some more clarity,” he said. “It’s one of those things where it’s a big decision as it is. We don’t need to go rushing into it.”

Matthew Pellas, who spoke for the Edgemont Landing homeowners association during the public hearing on the project, said his neighborhood was excited about the development but had concerns about density on the northern edge where it would abut his subdivision. He also said he would like to see a 50-foot buffer between the developments, but only 10 feet is proposed in some parts.

Pellas said he would prefer some of the units closest to Edgemont Landing not be built. “That’s shooting for the moon, but that’s what we would like to see,” he said.

Mayor Ginna Gray asked architect Sharon Rhue of Rivers and Associates when a decision would be made on what would go into the commercial part of the development. Rhue said it would depend on what developers the project can attract for that area.

“A hotel there may have some challenges, and we want them to succeed,” Gray said.

Commissioner Ben Carroll asked Rhue what developers she had been in discussions with.

“At this point in time there are no conversations we could disclose,” said project manager Steve Janowski.